MLB

2010 Top 50 Twins Prospects | No. 6 | Angel Morales

I am an "Old School" guy, and proud of it most of the time. In fact, I go so far back, I can recall when rainbows were still in black and white, and televisions were run by gas.

When it comes to selecting All-Anything teams, I always catch it from some (usually young) brainiac who tells me that I can't compare Pete Rose to Ty Cobb or Chase Utley to Nap LaJoie.

Then I am presented with comparisons beginning with lower case letters followed by all caps:  wRC, wOBA, tRA, etc., ad nauseam.

It was a portent of things to come.

Near the end of spring training, Jerry Koosman, who figured to be one of the New York Mets' starters in 1968, pitched six shutout innings against the San Francisco Giants at their Phoenix training facility.

The 23-year-old rookie from Minnesota faced only 20 batters, allowed a pair of harmless singles, struck out out three Giants, and allowed no walks.

Mets On the West Coast

The Mets began the 1968 season in San Francisco a week later.

When it comes to spring training and statistics I am a non-believer. I am obsessed with watching the games, but it is more to get a feel for the players involved and it hardly ever matters to me who won, who lost, or if the players do really well or really poorly. Sure, part of me cringes a little bit if someone has a horrible day, but in the end I realize it is spring and this doesn’t really count (this lead was stolen from example A ).

Is it me, or are the Seattle Mariners either doing something or have something going on that makes headlines everyday?

I woke up this morning and there they were again. I guess if you notice a team’s news and notes on a regular basis, it means they are relevant—and the Mariners will certainly be relevant in 2010.

Since the Mariners had a couple of relevant stories going on, I decided to include them  in one post.

Cliff Lee has an abdominal strain

The Yankees have sent two more players, right handed pitchers Romulo Sanchez and Ryan Pope, to the minor league camp cutting the total number left in camp down to 50, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com .

Kanekoa Texeira is a hard-throwing right handed pitcher who the Yankees got as part of the trade with the White Sox for Nick Swisher.

Pitching in double-A Trenton last season, he went 9-6 with a 2.84 ERA in 41 games and 101.1 innings. Good, but not great, numbers.

Unfortunately for Texeira and the Yankees, he didn’t have the outstanding talent to warrant protection on the 40-man roster, and he was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the Rule 5 draft.

Speed is something fantasy owners are always on the hunt for. It doesn’t matter if the player can hit for average or power, as long as he can steal bases, he’s going to have some value. 

Peter Bourjos, a prospect for the Los Angeles Angels, has been flying under the radar. But he could burst onto the scene in 2010 and become a must-own fantasy option quickly, thanks to what he brings to the table with his legs.

2009 Statistics (Double-A)

The sixth and final part of this Fantasy Baseball Preview is a list of players who had served baseball fantasy nation admirably for the duration of their illustrious careers, but should now be permanently crossed off must-have lists due to declining skills, injury, or retirement.

If you think that any of the above-listed players are still worthwhile fantasy contributors, then the chances are that you're a big fan of that particular player, and this is your wake-up call.

Consider this slideshow a fantasy eulogy to the players for their many years of dedicated service to fantasy baseball.

Matt Cain is a good pitcher. In fact, he's a very good pitcher. If he wasn't teammates with the defending two-time NL Cy Young award winner, Cain would be the ace of the Giants staff, and already be known as one of the top pitchers in the game.

Fortunately for Cain, he doesn't mind playing second fiddle to Lincecum. Now, he just needs his offense to give him proper run support, and he'll be known as the current Giants ace.